Wednesday, January 06, 2010

32!

Today is my 32nd birthday! I had so much fun this past year working on my "31 things" birthday list that I decided to make one for this year. I must send my thanks again to the queen list-maker herself, the lovely Andrea Jenkins, whose lists never cease to inspire and awe me. Thanks friend! So with no further adieu, I give you my list of 32 things to do before I turn 33...

1. Go to a roller derby.2. Make an omelet.3. Learn how to fire up and cook on the bbq grill.4. Tear out and remodel my bathroom.5. Build a swanky new deck. 6. Leave plastic grocery bags at the grocery store. (What a worthwhile habit to develop!)7. Go on a bona fide vacation with my husband.8. Make my own pizza dough.9. Take a printmaking class at Saltgrass Printmakers.10. Make apple cider donuts in the fall.11. Compile a book of Polaroids.12. Get new specs.13. Roast my own pumpkin seeds.14. Buy a candy thermometer and make pumpkin brittle at Christmas.15. Elevate the garden and grow things like tomatoes, jalapenos, corn, cilantro, dill, parsley, zucchini, and pumpkins.16. Make salsa.17. Take Maggie to a photo booth.18. Paint the kitchen table and chairs, or find a new set. (Thank you Craigslist!)19. Read five books I've never read before. (Suggestions?) 20. See my work in print. (Thanks Poladarium!)21. Make Dana Treat's Nutella pound cake.22. Ride the Matterhorn three times in a row. (Three times in a row three times, plus one more ride. Yes!)23. Kayak.24. Plant tulip bulbs in the fall.25. Hippie dance at a Yonder show again.26. Come up with and complete a new photo project. Hmm... (Budding Foodie!)27. Start a bunch of flowers and veggies in the greenhouse to transplant at home. 28. Go on a little trip with my sister. (Portland in April!)29. Make my own bbq sauce.30. Try out a few at-home alternative photography techniques, or hit up the local community college.31. Meet more Flickr friends in person. (Crossed off but always looking forward to meeting more!)32. Attend a concert at Red Butte Garden.

have a very happy birthday. great list! here's a little something to help you cross one thing off your list (it's the recipe i always use, without fail - i just let it rise for a couple of hours extra if i have the time):http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/01/pizza-and-the-limits-of-diy/ )enjoy!

First, happy birthday! I loved your list, I hope you can do all the things you wrote.I discovered your flickr right now - and I have to say that your photos are extremely beautiful, you're a very talented photographer - and, while I was reading the amount of cameras (wow, I was really surprised) you had, I had an idea. I've been trying to find a polaroid camera in a very long time but I just can't find it (I live in a small city in Europe that doesn't has any thrift stores or non-furniture-related antique stores. Yes, I know, it really sucks). Besides that, I've never worked with a polaroid camera so my goal was to find a nice simple working camera. I thought that the SX-70 was auto-focus but I guess I was wrong, so I think the SLR680 is now better for me. Well, my idea was asking you if you could just say which camera you think it's better for me and if you know any good ebay or amazon seller that has it. You don't have to write anything as long as this text I'm writing, of course not, but I would be grateful to you. You're my last chance.

Thank you, Caroline

P.S.: if you answer this silly comment, you can just write it here, in your blog, in a comment below mine. I'm sure I'll read it. Thank you, again, and keep taking photographs!

Thank you so much for the kind words. What a nice comment! I own a few SX-70s and one SLR 680 and I prefer using the SLR 680 not because it is autofocus (I usually switch it off and use manual focus anyway). The 680 takes 600 film inherently, and I don't have to do any sort of modifications with it. SX-70s were designed for SX-70 film, which aside from a few items on www.polapremium.com, is pretty much impossible to find. It was discontinued years ago. However, the modifications are simple and inexpensive - if not free - and SX-70s are usually much cheaper on ebay than SLR 680s.

I would recommend Polapremium for the film, and they even sell a few cameras. Check them out.

As far as modifying an SX-70, there's a great tutorial here. For tips on buying a Polaroid camera, Amanda's blog is fantastic.

I can't recommend any particular sellers on ebay, sorry. I just lucked out with my SLR 680. Just be sure that the seller is reputable, with a lot of positive feedback. If you have questions about the lingo a seller has used, feel free to e-mail me, or the Polaroid group on Flickr is great too.

hey steph, i just started bbqing two years ago and it's my favorite way to cook - so quick, easy, and tasty! the first year i just experimented and played it mostly safe but this last summer i bought steve raichlen's awesome book how to grill and i can't recommend it enough. he really demystifies the entire thing for both gas and charcoal grills and has lots of great recipes too. my fave is saffron-lemon shish kebabs. he does them with lamb but so far i've just done them as chicken breasts. amazing. and second fave is bacon wrapped filet mignon! yum yum. he has other bbq books out as well, but this one is a great starting point with great directions, photos, and recipes. get grilling girl! :-p